Probably the biggest reason he gets dismissed by some is his relatively unheralded status. He split time at quarterback at Northwestern, was coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in college. All of those were typical characteristics of a “project” quarterback.

His draft status as a seventh-round pick also leads to the “no respect” angle in the eyes of some. The bottom line is that successful seventh-round QBs are the exception and not the rule, particularly in the last decade. The 15 quarterbacks drafted in the seventh round from 2006-15 include just six who threw passes in the regular season — and just two who threw more than 40 career passes: Tyler Thigpen (509 career passes) and Matt Flynn (357 career passes).

So from the raw numbers, the odds were against Siemian when he was drafted.

But he’s made it to the second year; every day he remains with the Broncos, his chances of a long career increase. He showed promise last year in the preseason, particularly in terms of his poise and command; he showed the intangibles of an NFL quarterback. His accuracy has improved; based on practice, he has crossed that 60-percent threshold that is now a baseline for being an NFL passer.

He has a legitimate shot now, whether observers want to believe that or not.